Soul Land—Chapter 8: Final Practice and Rewards
"Is your 'Dual Stars Practice Method' serious?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with doubt; she couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't entirely serious. Last night, she had meticulously recorded the locations of 365 human acupoints, one by one.
Among them were the seven acupoints representing the Big Dipper: Great Vertebra, Spirit Platform, Reaching Yang, Path of the Spirit, Central Pivot, Spinal Center, and Gate of Life.
While these locations seemed quite normal, some of the more obscure acupoints made her blush.
If those acupoints were ever involved in this Dual Stars Practice Method in the future, what kind of situations might arise?
She glanced down at her chest. Hmm, she could still see her toes.
"Here. And there he would touch."
Although the Douluo Continent is often referred to as the Fantasy Floor Tile, the energy of soul power is indeed special.
It is not as violent as Dou Qi; instead, the gentle nature of soul power accelerates the physical development of soul masters and enhances their appearance.
This is one of the reasons why the average appearance of people on the Douluo Continent tends to be higher.
At the same time, the minds of soul masters mature more quickly, and their understanding of the relationship between men and women begins earlier.
Zhu Zhuqing thought to herself, if this "Dual Stars Cultivation Method" was truly as concerning as she feared—if it involved those acupoints that trigger daydreams—wouldn't it be incredibly embarrassing during practice?
She envisioned sitting side by side with Ling Qianyao, feeling soul power flowing through those private areas, and her cheeks began to flush.
"No, it must be that this cultivation method requires a strong spiritual connection. If there are distracting thoughts, how can one focus on cultivation?" She muttered to herself, her gaze drifting to her chest once more. It felt as if the thought was warming her cheeks, causing her to quickly gather her thoughts and dare not delve deeper.
"Well, it must be like this. What bad intentions could Ling Qianyao have?"
Zhu Zhuqing exhaled lightly, quickly convincing herself.
Time passed swiftly. Three months later, Zhu Zhuqing's soul power reached level 9, while Ling Qianyao's hidden cultivation level reached level 10. The end of the first semester approached punctually.
Unlike junior soul master academies in remote areas, such as Nuoding Academy, the soul master academy here frequently holds actual combat duels between students to assess their cultivation results and practical combat capabilities.
The class Zhu Zhuqing and Ling Qianyao placed great emphasis on duels.
In the one-on-one matches, Ling Qianyao claimed first place without any suspense, and in the three-on-three matches, he swept through the competition like a whirlwind.
Perhaps because of their previous dominance alongside Dai Gonggong, the academy instructor specifically arranged for three senior students to challenge them.
At that moment, on the martial arts stage:
"Fei Guigui, Martial Soul: Mammoth, 9th-level defense-type combat soul master!"
"Zheng Kai, Martial Soul: Fire Leopard, 11th-level agile attack-type combat soul master!"
"Feng Huolun, Martial Soul: Wind Sword, 9th-level strong attack-type combat soul master."
The three senior students stood in a row, exuding fierce momentum.
"Ling Qianyao, Martial Soul: Iron Sword, level 10 strong attack system warrior."
"Zhu Zhuqing, Martial Soul: Hell Spirit Cat, level 9 agile attack system warrior."
"Dai Gonggong, Martial Soul: White Tiger, level 8 strong attack system warrior."
Zhu Zhuqing, Ling Qianyao, and Dai Gonggong stood side by side. From their lineup alone, it seemed they had no advantage in terms of soul power levels and member attributes.
After all, their opponents had two level 9 warriors, along with Zheng Kai, an 11th-level agile attack-type warrior who had already reached the soul master level. The power of his Fire Leopard martial soul should not be underestimated.
But who could blame them for standing out too much in their previous games? Sometimes, too much brilliance attracts more challenges.
Fei Guigui looked at Ling Qianyao and the others and scoffed, "They're bullying us because of our lower soul power. It's embarrassing to make us compete against these juniors."
"Don't be careless. Ling Qianyao is very strong. If you lose later, you'll be in trouble at home."
"Ah? Brother Kai, you possess soul rings and soul skills now. What nonsense are you talking about?"
Ling Qianyao observed the whispered discussions on the opposite side and shook his head. "The teacher thinks highly of us, but it seems they still underestimate our capabilities. Just like before, we fight without restraint."
"Yes, yes," Dai Gonggong nodded. "I'm responsible for the distractions, and you are responsible for the fighting."
Ling Qianyao glanced at the referee and nodded.
"The match begins!" With that command, the competition officially started.
The yellow first soul ring under Zheng Kai's feet lit up suddenly. The moment the Fire Leopard Martial Soul possessed him, he transformed into a red streak and charged straight at Zhu Zhuqing.
"I heard you are the daughter of the Zhu family. Allow me, a descendant of the Fire Leopard Sect, to experience your Martial Soul!"
Flames swirled around his arms, leaving scorch marks in the air as he unleashed his first soul skill, "Leopard Shadow Burning Heart," which enhanced his leopard claws and allowed them to leave a continuous burning flame along his path.
"Your opponent is me." Ling Qianyao suddenly shifted sideways half a step. The Star Breaking Sword spun in his palm, and the projection of the Primordial Heaven Star Map at the sword guard glowed slightly. The Radiant Light Star at the Gate of Life acupoint quietly activated—Army Breaking Star!
"Clang!"
As the sword blade collided with the leopard claws, Zheng Kai was shocked to feel a sharp sword intent bursting forth from the impact, causing his heart to tremble.
This sword's intent's strength exceeded his expectations. Though he used his soul skill, the leopard claw, two of the sharp knuckles were severed. Zheng Kai staggered backward, disbelief etched on his face.
"How is this possible?"
"Retreat!" Feng Huolun shouted at Zheng Kai in panic. The Wind Sword unleashed three wind blade-shaped sword qi into the air, but once again, Ling Qianyao effortlessly countered and broke each one.
Unbeknownst to them, Zhu Zhuqing had circled to the flank. The Radiant Light Star in her Gate of Life acupoint shone brilliantly. With the speed advantage of the Hell Spirit Cat, she charged directly at Feng Huolun.
The Hell Spirit Claw in her hand glimmered dark blue and aimed for Feng Huolun's ribs, leaving a deep mark and a grimace of pain on his face.
"It's my turn." Ling Qianyao let the star power flow through his Spinal Center acupoint, igniting the Star of War and awakening his battle instincts and fighting spirit.
He raised the tip of his sword and lunged toward Zheng Kai.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me, kid!" Zheng Kai cursed. He endured the pain from his severed fingers, and flames surged from the Fire Leopard Martial Soul as he charged at Ling Qianyao.
The two were poised to collide when Ling Qianyao jumped high, tracing an arc in the air. The tip of the Broken Star Sword gleamed with cold light, aimed directly at Zheng Kai's Chest Center acupoint.
Zheng Kai's eyes widened in shock; he hurriedly adjusted his stance, but Ling Qianyao was too swift, leaving him no time to react.
"Puff!" With a soft sound, Ling Qianyao's sword tip accurately struck Zheng Kai's Chest Center acupoint. A powerful force surged into Zheng Kai's body, causing him to tremble as his flames went wild.
His soul power scattered; his vision blurred, and he became disoriented, staggering and collapsing to the ground.
Meanwhile, Dai Gonggong was still wrestling with Fei Guigui.
"Push harder! Can you do it, Fei Guigui?!"
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(End of this chapter)